Montreal’s Glass Brick House of Japanese Minimalism
13 hours ago
5 min read
Light passed through the material. By day, it's a curved wall of glass brick which turns the street into a mirage. By night, it's a discreet lantern. That's The Lens, a single-family home in Villeray in Montreal. Opaque volumes of beige concrete brick turn inward, and carefully calibrated openings draw in the southern light without revealing the rooms behind.
Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau
MU Architecture completed this home for a couple and their children who wanted calm and balance rather than anything showy. The solution is very much Japanese minimalism with a strong underpinning of feng shui: a refined architectural language, fluid circulation, a considered approach to how light moves, and a direct link between inside and out. Light, passing through the material, does the work that ornament would normally do.
The site previously had a single-family home which didn't really suit the new owners. That was demolished. Then, the design team started from scratch and rethought the house's siting, orientation, and spatial organization, with calm and harmony at its heart.
The problem was in getting the plot to match the owners' ambitions. Positioning was the trickiest bit. The street runs down the south. An alley runs along the east and the north—very little opportunity to hide from view.
Then, of course, there was the white spruce at the corner of the property. That had to be kept. Integrated, not sacrificed.
The response is a series of articulated, opaque volumes that turn the house in on itself, pierced by carefully controlled openings and in-between spaces. Lots of light comes in from the south. No one looking from the outside would have any idea.
The glass-brick wall works the same way. It defines the south elevation and captures and diffuses daylight all day. The views into the house become a very soft, diffused texture. Privacy is maintained.
Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau
The house is layered from the sunken garage level up through to the light-filled volumes above. Each transition is controlled. Two ordering principles govern the design: one for the public/private interface and the other for the work/rest interface. Both align closely with the feng shui principles applied throughout.
At the front, a sloped driveway drops straight down to a basement garage. This completely frees the ground floor from car parking and gives it entirely to living. The effect is a clear separation between servant and served spaces, and it strongly reinforces the project's devotion to minimalism.
Basement Floor Plan. Drawing by MU Architecture Ground Floor Plan. Drawing by MU Architecture Upper Floor Plan. Drawing by MU Architecture
The basement is not simply a technical level. It's designed as a genuine transition between the outside world and the home's domesticity. The garage leads into a large mudroom, the family's first point of entry before the main staircase, which provides access to all floors. This level includes two guest suites, giving guests complete independence. A flexible space is also accessible directly from the driveway ramp. It has its own entrance and is therefore a natural home office for the couple, meeting their working needs without encroaching on the privacy of the rest of the house.
The ground floor is dedicated to all family life. It's centred on a huge living area that opens out to the garden, and the main entrance naturally faces the outdoors. From the main corridor, the communal areas are: kitchen, back kitchen, dining room, and a very spacious double-height living room. A playroom for the kids and a powder room complete the picture. Outside, a covered verandah extends the living areas into the garden.
Upstairs are the private rooms. Two children's bedrooms share a bathroom and sit beside a practical laundry room. The master bedroom has its own private terrace, built off the verandah and opening directly onto the garden. There's a large office on theonto a mezzanine above the living room, which makes full use of the double height and wonderful views over the garden.
A second staircase leads up to a rooftop lounge and a terrace for city living. There's a very distinct outdoor space at the very top of the house.
Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau
The most striking feature of the house is the glass brick screen wall which wraps around the front corner. It filters the light and screens the family from the street and adjacent properties. The view becomes a blurred, shifting texture —a mirage of sorts—partly transparent and partly opaque, changing with the hour; a direct reference to the Japanese shoji, where light is only ever partially revealed.
Outside you've got these beige concrete brick buildings, the edges of them quite sharp in places and quite rounded in others, speaking to the area without really yielding to it. At night, the interior light spills out through the glass brick. It's a very discreet lantern in Villeray.
Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau
Inside, a restrained palette of walnut, porcelain, and brushed brass creates minimalist spaces that follow a clear logic of order and flow. Clear circulation, clean lines. The kitchen and dining room open onto a generous open plan, anchored by the huge monolithic hood over the island and lit by a row of fluted wood pendants. From the dining room, the glass-brick wall casts soft, ever-changing light across the oak floor all day. It's a calm, soothing atmosphere that suits an active family.
Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau
A floating white steel staircase with glass railings connects the levels and creates a vertical void that lets daylight fall from the roof down to the ground floor. It's also a strong feng shui feature, providing a continuous flow of energy.
Upstairs, the bathrooms are the same: beige porcelain, brushed brass fixtures, a walk-in shower, and a steam shower. Soft textures. Warm, muted tones. A real retreat for the couple, a place where life slows down.
Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau Photography by: Raphaël Thibodeau
The back of the house opens out to a garden of a very natural kind, dominated by grasses and perennials. A green roof covers the terrace and outdoor kitchen, effectively extending the living areas. In keeping with the Japanese and feng shui principles that underpinned the project, the boundary between inside and outside is soft, and the seasons are part of the experience.
Credits & Technical Information
Name of the Project: The Lens
Date of Completion: July 2026
Area: 5910 Sq.Ft.
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Architects / Designers: MU Architecture
Team: Jean-Sébastien Herr, Charles Côté, Magda Telenga, Michelle Bélair, Andrée-Anne Godin, Pierre-Loup Pivoin, Tommy Chouinard, Karine Taillon,
Structural Engineer: Poincaré Ingénierie
General Contractor: Construction OVI
Landscape Architect: Atelier Friche
Cabinetry: Atelier Notre-Dame
Macon (Maçon): Hardy Inc.
Suppliers:
Glass Bricks: Seves Glass Block
Windows: Alumilex
Flooring wood: Craft
Bricks: Permacon, Pierre Maestro
Natural Stone: Carrières Ducharme
Dining room lights: A-N-D Light
Dining room table and chairs: Regular, distribution: Artisan
Photographer: Raphaël Thibodeau
